


Love

by Ipodsandstars



Series: 100 Themes Challenge [2]
Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Abuse of Authority, F/M, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-07 00:15:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1877865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ipodsandstars/pseuds/Ipodsandstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>2nd in the 100 Theme Challenge</p><p>Bruce Banner doesn’t really know what love is… Until the moment he almost loses her</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love

**Author's Note:**

> I tried XD it was mushy

2\. Love  
Summary: Bruce Banner doesn’t really know what love is… Until the moment he almost loses her

Bruce never really knew love – his abusive father killed his mother and got admitted to a mental asylum. Most people nicknamed it ‘The Loony Bin’ or ‘Looney Tunes’, which even Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle at, despite his situation. Bruce then grew up with his cousin and even that didn’t change anything, he was still the shy nerd who knew everything and knew to keep his trap shut for the good part of his life.  
Then, one day at graduation, he made one remark and ended up nursing a black eye for a few months – quite a while since he was last beaten in school. He’d even counted the days

The first woman he had ever thought he truly loved was one Betty Ross and what a woman she was. Absolutely stunning with everything and anything she looked at or did. She adored science; Bruce loved the way her eyes sparkled with her enthusiasm as they spoke of the experiments they did and would do. The way she looked at him and laughed at his awful jokes… The way she looked, sleeping peacefully in his shabby, shitty bed. The way she eased every ache in his body… Before slapping him in the face with a pillow to wake him up.

Then a green alter ego comes along and shatters every dream he has, every hope and every thread of mentality ripped to shreds in front of his eyes. His heart tells him to stay but he knows it’s not safe, he goes on the run and that’s how it stayed for almost 6 years, 5 years on the run; wandering across Europe to India where he hid. Hid from her, hid from the monster he had become – tried to hide but it was no use.

He never really knew what love was, he’d never got the chance experience it, every chance he had, had been taken away from him and because of who he was, because of The Other Guy he knew all hopes had been dashed. He had to play against new rules, had to monitor his every step to avoid making one Hulk-sized mistake. He thought he had a chance of succeeding; he’d tried so hard…

Then his entire world came crashing down in the form of SHIELD, Tony Stark and definitely, definitely one Darcy Paige Lewis. Bruce had found out the truth about her from the woman herself, not from the file Tony found of her. He didn’t need a file to know the truth. And she had someone to talk to, they had someone to talk to and it was nice…The purple bruise he had seen on her arm was just one of many bruises and scars across her body. Not from drug abuse, no she wasn’t stupid to do that. Darcy was clumsy, yes but even so the bruises would never be that big.

Darcy said it happened in the street one night, a drunken guy who thought it would be okay to hit on her and then get violent when she shunned him. Well, that was Darcy’s story anyway. Bruce knew the truth. He could tell, he’d seen it before. Experienced it before… The other bruises, the older ones, Bruce could definitely tell they were abuse marks and it pissed him the fuck off. He didn’t know who exactly had done this to her, but he was angry and had so many questions. For example, why Darcy? Whoever had done this to her would pay, Bruce would protect her.

One day the truth finally came out. The rule book goes flying out the window, the Other Guy bursting forward from the back of Bruce’s mind at the sight before him. Darcy had told Bruce it was just a friend she was meeting out of town but even her voice betrayed her once well-told lie. That was the first sign Bruce knew, that something was up and when he found her six foot tall father standing over her with a baseball bat, enough was enough.

Darcy was told she wasn’t good enough, she was a worthless failure to her family – her brother, her mother… everyone. She was a good girl with good grades not abusers and druggies like the rest of her family, they were abusing drugs and she wasn’t. Bruce knew there was something going on, he knew Darcy wasn’t taking drugs… but he wasn’t far off with his guess of the situation. Darcy had taken it all in her stride, she knew she was a hell of a lot better than the rest of them – yet still gave them the money that they wanted and that’s all she was to them, what they needed her to be – a cash cow.

They kept her face intact when they beat her so she could still have her good looks to bring in the money; half expecting her to become a prostitute to get the money. At least what the family said, they said it’s all Darcy was good for. It made Bruce sick… and then it hit him. Not only had she come to New York because SHIELD had asked (well, forced) her to, because she worked for Jane… But for the fact she needed saving, just like the rest of the Avengers. She was searching for a place she could call home, somewhere where she felt like she could belong.

And his heart almost stopped when he heard why Darcy had come back to her family – she didn’t want any part in what they wanted her for. And right then, she confessed. Confessed she loved Bruce, not knowing he was watching from the doorway, sad puppy-like eyes looking at her which turned green as the bat came crashing down on her small, fragile body.

Bruce didn’t even give a shit when the Other Guy proceeded to beat the living crap out of her family – he only cared about his Darcy, his young, beautifully amazing assistant. His Darcy, the Other Guy had decided. And Bruce couldn’t help but agree more. He held her in his arms, watching her brilliant blue eyes scan the room, smiling as she felt soft, gentle sausage-like fingers caress her face.  
“Hi big guy” she whispered “You heard, huh?”  
He could only nod and let out a soft whimper as he gently cupped her, his fingers gracing the bruises and scars up and down her entire body.  
“I guess you know my secret then, Doc.” She tries to laugh but throws up blood, scaring the Other Guy and Bruce himself. He could have hurt her more, could have made things a lot worse but he didn’t.  
“Darcy going to be okay?” the Other Guy asks slowly.  
Darcy nods slowly, cupping his face.  
“Yeah, I’ve got you and Brucie. You… and Bruce…” she falls asleep in his arms, tired from everything and The Other Guy carries her home gently

When Bruce comes to a few hours later and finds Hulk on the news for carrying Darcy the entire way back to the tower, casually strolling through New York and not hurting anyone, he can only look over at Darcy who is sleeping peacefully and not regret a thing.

Bruce Banner claims he doesn’t know what love is, but in fact he does,

Love is being selfish and disobeying the rules for once. (though, the same could not be said for Tony who broke the rules all the time, for Pepper. And for himself, mostly.)

Love is everything in front of him; love is in the form of his assistant

Love is perfect.

And Bruce wouldn’t change her for the world.


End file.
